On Friday 8th March I joined Doreen Lawrence and Shami Chakrabarti in celebrating International Women's Day and the Stephen Lawrence Women’s Awards 2013.

In the year that marks the 20th anniversary of Stephen's tragic death, the Stephen Lawrence Trust wanted to take the opportunity to recognise inspirational women from the local community. Awards were presented to honour the achievements of women from Lewisham, Southwark and Greenwich.

I gave a short speech outlining my experiences as a woman in politics and took part in a discussion on how individuals can make a difference. You can reach my speech in full here.